Henry Roldán
The first week of the 2022 NFL season pits the Philadelphia Eagles against the Detroit Lions. Both teams have high expectations for this season, and that will surely result in a very interesting duel to open the season.
With the arrival of wide receiver A.J. Brown, Philadelphia is hoping to put aside last season’s NFC Wild Card Game loss to the Buccaneers after finishing the regular round with a 9-8 record.
For their part, the Lions were one of the winners of the last draft and with defensive wing Aidan Hutchinson, second overall pick, they hope to have a decent performance in the NFC North. Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the Eagles vs Lions preview.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Philadelphia Eagles vs Detroit Lions NFL Week 1 Game on September 11, 2022
- Where: Ford Field – Detroit, Michigan.
- When: Sunday, September 11, 2022, 1:00 PM ET
Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles
- Regular Season Record: 0-0
- Spread: -4.0.
- Moneyline: (-200).
- Over/Under: 48.5.
While the Cowboys are favored to win the NFC East, the Eagles have a team interesting enough to become a real headache for the Dallas team.
Junior Jalen Hurts will once again be the starting quarterback. In 2021, he demonstrated his abilities by throwing for over 3,000 yards and leading the team in ground yards with over 700, yet his performance was uneven when tested by opponents. That’s why the Eagles decided to give him better weapons by acquiring one of the best wide receivers in the league in Brown from the Titans.
On the defensive side, things also improved. In the draft, they added pieces to strengthen their defense on the ground, while through the air James Bradberry and C.J. Gardner-Johnson will add depth to a team that allowed 377 points, the 11th best mark in the league.
Betting on the Detroit Lions
- Regular Season Record: 0-0
- Spread: +4.0.
- Moneyline: (+170).
- Over/Under: 48.5.
By 2022 the Lions hope to leave the bottom of the NFC North, a place they haven’t left since 2018 and don’t expect to return to for quite some time thanks to very good picks in the past draft and some interesting signings during the preseason.
Let’s start with the offense: this is an area of the team where the biggest question mark is Jared Goff at quarterback. While he has posted good numbers in four of his six seasons in the league, last season he led the team to 3-10-1 and threw for just 3,200 yards with 19 touchdowns.
That’s why management signed wide receiver D.J. Chark to pair with Amon-Ra St. Brown. Running back D’Andre Swift and tight end T.J. Hockenson are other interesting names in the team.
Defensively, all eyes will be on rookie Hutchinson, who along with Michael Brockers will have the responsibility of improving his team’s pressure on opposing QBs after totaling just 30 catches last season, the third fewest in the league. This is also something that will be vital next Sunday, given what was stated about Hurts: his game suffers when he can’t spend time inside the pocket.
JefeBet Prediction
These Lions are not the same as last season’s. They have strengthened well and are showing signs that they want to start competing, even if the results are not immediately visible.
That’s why this game won’t be easy for an Eagles team with postseason hopes. Their aerial offense should be a headache for the home team’s secondary, but Hutchinson and company won’t be an easy stumbling block for Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles defense also won’t give much room to an inconsistent Goff beyond the new pieces. This time, I am going with the Under of the matchup.
